


Dancing Lessons

by inthepeppermintwind



Category: Doctor Who, Glee
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-11-19
Updated: 2012-11-19
Packaged: 2017-11-19 01:54:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,974
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/567742
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/inthepeppermintwind/pseuds/inthepeppermintwind
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Seventeen-year-old Burt Hummel never really paid much attention to the language he used. To him, "fag" was just another part of his vocabulary. That is, until, someone shows him otherwise - by taking him to a prom nearly thirty years in his future.  TRANSFERRING FROM FF.NET</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is a work that I originally published on fanfiction.net in 2011 (under the name pineappletop92). I am currently moving all of my stories from there to here and scarvesandcoffee (when they apply). Thank you.
> 
> Much thanks to Adri, my beta, who is the one who decided this should be a three-shot and who made this so much better than it was before.
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not own Glee - or Doctor Who, for that matter – but if I did their worlds would collide in canon.
> 
> Original publication date:

"Man, don't be such a fag."

" _What_  did you just say?"

Seventeen year old Burt Hummel stopped laughing to turn and face a tall, thin man with brown hair that seemed to defy gravity. He wore a brown striped suit with white sneakers and was staring down at him through a pair of horn-rimmed glasses, eyes squinted in disgust.

" _Excuse_  me?" Burt asked, glancing around at his fellow teammates just to make sure they had his back. He folded his arms across his chest and glared back at the taller man, trying to appear intimidating. In reality, of course, Burt felt frightened. His palms were starting to grow moist and he refrained from swallowing over the lump that was forming in his throat. This man, while not an authority figure he recognized, was glaring right into his eyes with a piercing stare that intimidated Burt. He tried to stare back, but the anger that surged beneath those brown irises grew to be too much and he was forced to look away with a shiver of fear that went unnoticed by his friends.

"I  _believe_ I asked you a simple question," the man in the suit said, folding his hands in a similar manner to Burt's. He cocked his head and raised an eyebrow. "What was it that you just called him?" He gestured toward Burt's right, where his best friend Billy stood, frowning in confusion.

"What, 'fag'? So, what? It's just a joke."

The man shook his head. "It's not a  _joke_ , Burt-"

"Hang on, how do you know me name?"

The man waved his hand, dismissing the question. "Not important. What  _is_  important is that you stop using that sort of language."

Burt laughed along with his friends. "But everybody uses that word. It doesn't mean anything."

The frown on the man's face deepened. "It means more than you seem to understand. It is a word full of hate that can hurt people. And you would do better to stop using it in the future."

"Oh yeah? And why should I do that? I don't see Billy getting hurt by it. Billy, did I hurt your feelings?" Burt fished inside his jacket pocket, pulling out a yellowed handkerchief and cooed mockingly, "Here, do you need to dry your tears?"

Billy laughed along with the others in the group as he took the hanky and pretended to blow his nose and wipe away tears. "Oh, Burt," he said, sniffling. "Thank you  _so_  much for giving me your hanky. That word – oh, gosh it just  _hurt so much_."

The man scowled, not taking his eyes off Burt. "Billy – the rest of you – I believe your dance is almost over. I think you would do well to return to it.  _Immediately_."

"Excuse me?" Billy asked, handing the handkerchief back to Burt, who shoved it back into his pocket without bothering to fold it. He walked up to the man in the suit who finally turned his attention to him. Billy, who had opened his mouth to speak, stumbled back suddenly, eyes widening as the man's eyes narrowed at him.

"You heard me," the man growled. "Go back to your dance. I want to talk to Burt  _alone_."

With his last statement, he turned his glare back on Burt, who shuddered, suddenly wishing that he had been told to leave as well.

"C-c'mon, guys," Billy stuttered, already backing away. "We – we should head back." The boys glanced at each other before turning as a group to leave. Burt watched them go, wincing when Billy gave him one last look of pity as he disappeared back into McKinley High's gymnasium, where students were currently dancing to the song from that new Kenny Loggins movie about dance. "Footsie" or something like that.

Burt turned back to face the man who had moved to rest his chin in his hand as he looked Burt over. Somehow, in the time it took for the other boys to leave, the man in the suit had relaxed a bit. The fire in his eyes had dimmed, and now he was looking at Burt's suit with eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

"Honestly," he quipped in that annoying accent. "What exactly were you thinking when you chose that suit?"

Burt glanced down at his powder-blue tuxedo with ruffles and bowtie. He shrugged. "I think I look like Tony Orlando."

"You look like a cliché," he replied, before cocking his head and looking up at the ceiling with a shrug of his shoulders. " _But_  it is 1984.  _Great_ year," he added with a grin, still not looking at Burt. Then, rather suddenly, he went from smiling to frowning, creasing his forehead as he rubbed at his chin thoughtfully. "Course, there was always that Pepsi commercial incident. I never did apologize to Mike for that…"

" _What?_  You know what? I don't want to know," Burt said shaking his head and starting to back away from this strange man. "Look, did you come here to criticize everything I do? Because if you did, I don't want to hear it, so I'll just be on my way-"

"Not so fast, Hummel," the man said grabbing onto Burt's forearm and tugging him forward. With Burt sputtering behind him, the man pulled him around a corner and stopped in front of a janitor's closet.

"What the hell do you think you're doing? Let go of me! I have to get back to my date!"

The man chuckled as he swung open the door. "Don't worry, you're date will never even know you were gone."

With another tug, Burt stumbled into the janitor's closet. Rather than falling to the floor as he expected to, however, he hit something solid and wooden. Leaning back, he frowned in confusion.

"Where'd this blue box come from?"

The man grinned at him as he slipped a key into the door of the box. "I parked it here."

And with that, he pushed the door open and pulled Burt inside after him.

Needless to say, Burt thought he felt his heart stop when he found himself in a room that was far larger than even a janitor closet could hold. The room itself was round, but not perfectly so. A metal ramp led up towards a small platform, at the center of which was some strange machine. The man in the suit was already at this, pushing buttons, turning dials, and pulling levers. In the center was a large, clear tube, inside of which was some sort of blue thing that began to glow and move up and down as a loud whooshing noise filled the air.

Burt started to back up, with the sole intention of getting out of this freakish,  _impossible_ , place. He reached behind him, feeling for the door handle. Finding it, he tugged on the door, but it didn't budge.

"What the-?"

He turned to face the door, gripping the handle with both hands and pulling hard, but the door refused to budge.

"Sorry about that," the man said without looking up. "The TARDIS doors don't open in the middle of fourth-dimensional travel. It probably wouldn't end up being very nice if you got sucked out into the time vortex while we're still inside it. While she has a shield around her protecting us if that were ever to happen, of course, it's just better safe than sorry. Right?" With that, he looked up at Burt with a grin, the same one from before, as if he thought everything that was happening right now was the funniest thing on Earth. Burt, however, was still reeling from that speech that had begun slow and ended in a jumble of words that didn't make any sense to him whatsoever. He shook his head in confusion before glancing back at the strange man who was currently  _skipping_  around the center… _thing_.

"Sorry, but  _what the hell is going on right now?_ " Burt asked, quaking in fear. Or maybe it was because the entire room was shaking.

"Oh, right. I do this a lot, don't I? Just going off on adventures without answering questions – or heck, even letting people ask them most of the time. Nevermind. Let me give you the run down, then, shall I?" The man hopped up on a railing, perching his feet on it and leaning forward. "My name is the Doctor. This is the TARDIS, a Time and Relative Dimension in Space machine. With it I can travel through time and space. And yes, it's bigger on the inside." He followed this with another grin and a waggle of his eyebrows, as if those few sentences made everything make sense.

Burt could feel a headache coming on. Feeling slightly nauseous, he reached out a hand and leaned against the ramp railing. "Someone must have spiked the punch, because there is no way any of this is real. I'm hallucinating. That's it."

The man – doctor, he said – laughed. "Oh, someone did spike the punch, but you didn't even drink any."

Burt frowned. "How do you know that?"

He shrugged. "I'd smell it. Trust me. I have a good nose. Shaped nicely, too, don't you think?" He tilted his head in the air, turning so Burt could see his profile, expectantly waiting a comment.

Alright, now Burt was officially weirded out."How do I know you're telling the truth and that you're not just some figment of my imagination? You won't even tell me your name."

"Not true!I told you my name."

"You told me a title. You must have a name."

He nodded. "I do. But I can't exactly tell it to you. It's… _complicated_."

Burt felt his eyes rolling as he scoffed. "So, what? I just call you 'Doctor'?"

The Doctor nodded. "Yep! Everyone else does! Now, how about you see when the TARDIS has taken us!"

And with that, the shaking stopped.

The Doctor jumped off his perch and bounded down the ramp. He opened the door and left, letting the door close behind him. Burt stood still, not moving, except for the trembling that was still plaguing his body.

The door opened once again and the Doctor poked his head back in. "Well, are you coming or not?"

Slowly, Burt nodded but the Doctor had already disappeared again. He made his way back towards the door and, with a deep breath, gripped the handle and tugged it open.

What Burt had expected was the same janitor's closet that they had first stepped into, with the mop leaning against the wall next to the door. What he got instead, was a cramped dark space between the TARDIS door and something solid.

"Where are we?"


	2. Chapter 2

"Not where," the Doctor answered. " _When_."

With that there was a click and light suddenly streamed into the small space. Blinking, Burt found himself looking at a row of lockers.

"McKinley? We haven't left, you asshole! You did all of that for no reason! What the hell was the point in all of that bullshit in there, then?"

The Doctor shook his head. "Asshole? That's a new one. Well, not new actually, there was that one time with Amelia Earheart and– nevermind. And no, we did leave. Well, not  _leave_  actually, but rather we made a shift through the temporal vortex, since we never really left that one spot but rather jumped over several decades to the exact same place. It's kind of like jumping up and staying suspended for twenty-seven years and then coming back down without having to actually live through those years….So, yes, we're still in McKinley but it's in the future."

Burt blinked. "Huh?"

Before the Doctor could open his mouth to repeat himself, a boy turned the corner, heavy boots pounding on the floor as he ran past them. He held a hand to his mouth as he choked out a sob. He didn't seem to notice Burt and the Doctor as he swept past them. Another boy in a tuxedo followed after him, shouting, but Burt ignored them, turning to face the Doctor, arms crossing again.

"The future? You expect me to believe that crap?"

The Doctor sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Of course not, that would make this too easy for me, wouldn't it? Come on then, follow me."

Burt frowned as the Doctor sauntered down a different hallway. He followed the man's quick pace, wondering where he was heading when he stopped suddenly in front of a set of double doors. With a smile, he pulled on one handle but when it didn't budge, frowned.

"The library's locked on weekends," Burt told him with a roll of his eyes.

The Doctor shoved his hand inside his jacket and pulled out a long thin silvery thing. There was a small whirring noise and, from what Burt could see, a blue light. Something clicked and the Doctor pulled on the door again.

"I told you, it's-"

The door opened.

"-locked. How did you do that?"

"Sonic screwdriver," the Doctor said, waving the device idly in the air.

"Right. Like you weren't weird enough, you've got a screwdriver that shoots lasers," Burt muttered as he followed the Doctor into the dark library that was lit only by the light streaming in from the hallway and the windows along the ceiling.

"It does not shoot lasers," the Doctor argued. "It unlocks doors."

"Right. Even lamer. Look, why did you bring me to the library anyway?" Burt asked as he leaned against a bookshelf that the Doctor was currently perusing.

"This!" He pulled out a glossy hardback book and shoved it under Burt's nose. It took him a second to read the title, but when he did, he felt his head start to swim.

"'William McKinley High School Yearbook… _2009-2010_ '? How – how is that even possible?" Burt found himself clutching at the shelf he was leaning against, hard metal pressing into sweaty palms. He felt like his dinner was about to come back up and swallowed, forcing it to stay down.

"Like I said," the Doctor replied. "Time travel." He grinned at Burt as the seventeen year old shakily reached up to touch the book – to make sure it was real.

It was.

"So…it's 2010? We're actually thirty freaking years in the future?" Burt couldn't believe it. He wasn't  _sure_  if he could believe it. But here it was, the book, solid and heavy in his hand, telling him that it was all true.

"2011, actually," the Doctor replied, glancing at his wrist. "Now, come on. There's something you need to see. Allons-y!"

Burt shook his head as he followed the Doctor back out into the hallway. "I don't understand. Why are you showing me my future? Is there something I have to change?"

The Doctor laughed. "Oh no, nothing like that. Actually, it's something you definitely  _cannot_  change. And it's not  _your_  future, per se, but it  _does_  stem from your future."

Now Burt was wholly confused. "What do you mean?" he asked, frowning as the Doctor led him to the doors of what he realized was the gymnasium. Through the small windows he could see a whole crowd of kids, all dressed up in formal wear, but none of whom he recognized. He felt a sense of déjà vu as he looked on at a similar scene to one he had just left – not even ten minutes ago.

The Doctor sighed and turned to look at him. "Do you remember why I started talking to you, Burt?"

"Yeah, you were trying to change the way I talk. Which by the way, I'm still annoyed about."

The Doctor shook his head. "That word that you used. You throw it around right now, not even realizing its meaning. But that needs to change, Burt. You need to change."

"But why should I? It's just a word. It has nothing to do with me."

"Oh," the Doctor said, shaking his head. "It has  _so much_  to do with you. But I can't explain it. Well, I  _could_ , but where would the fun be in  _that_? Which is why I brought you here. To show you." He nodded toward the door. "In about one minute, something will happen in there that will hopefully make you realize what I mean. Now, I want you to go in there, and stand near the stage."

He opened the door and Burt stepped forward. Before going in all the way, however, he paused and turned to face the Doctor. "How will I know what you're talking about?"

The Doctor looked at him solemnly. "You'll know. Trust me.  _You'll know_."

And with that, he closed the door behind him.

Burt turned to look at the gymnasium. It looked practically the same as it always did, except that the floor looked shinier and there were several more pennants hanging on the walls – mostly for the cheerleading squad, he noted. Streamers and balloons were decorating the room everywhere, and over in a corner by the refreshments was a large star with lights on it. The students in the room were all talking to each other in a hum, but no one was dancing. In fact, there was no music playing at all.

"What kind of dance is this anyway?" Burt muttered as he made his way towards the stage as the Doctor had directed him. No one seemed to pay much attention as he made his way through the crowd, all muttering to themselves about something.

Finally making his way towards the front of the crowd, Burt found a place to stand just right of the center of the stage. On it were two thrones, in one of which sat a largely built boy wearing a crown and holding a scepter. The other, the one for the Prom Queen, Burt assumed, was empty. Another man stood just off-center of the stage, checking his watch and looking around angrily at the students on the dance floor.

Just then the door next to the stage opened and the room grew silent as a boy with brown hair made his way inside. Burt was taken aback by this boy. From his neck to his waist he looked like any other boy in the crowd – simply white shirt, boy tie, and jacket. But below that – below that he was wearing a  _kilt_.

Slowly the boy made his way onto the stage. As he approached the center he looked out at the crowd and Burt could see that his eyes were wide with fear. The spotlight lit up his pale face as the other man walked over. The boy turned to him and gave a slight nod of his head.

"Ladies and gentlemen," the man said, leaning into the microphone with an accented voice. "Your 2011 Prom Queen, Kurt Hummel."

Burt stopped breathing.

_Kurt Hummel. Kurt. Hummel._ There was no denying it. This boy – this teenager, standing on stage currently being crowned Prom Queen – was his  _son_. Now that he knew it, Burt could see the similarities. He had Burt's chin and his grandfather's nose. But his eyes were a blue-grey color that Burt didn't recognize.

_His mother. He must have his mother's eyes._

He watched as his son looked at the scepter that the man was holding out to him and, after a moment's hesitation, took it. Kurt turned to face the crowd, moving closer to the microphone. Burt felt a tug at his heart. The hurt in that boy's face made him want to reach out and hug him, protect him from whatever it was that was causing him so much pain.

Then, instead of crying like he looked like he was about to, Kurt smiled and breathily stated to the crowd, "Eat your heart out, Kate Middleton."

Now, Burt had no idea who this Kate Middleworth person was, but he could have cared less. In those two seconds, Burt saw in his future son so much strength and courage that not even a cruel joke – because yes, this had to be a joke that the school played on him –could turn him into a coward. At that moment, Burt Hummel felt something he had never really felt before.

_Pride_. Pride swelled in his chest for this son whom he had yet to actually meet – to hold as a baby, to teach how to ride a bike, to watch grow up into this amazing young man he saw standing before him. And as the applause around him grew louder, Burt joined in. He clapped for his future son who withstood the antics of these bullies.

As Kurt and the Prom King descended from the stage for the Prom Royalty dance, Burt felt a presence beside him. He glanced over to see the Doctor standing with a small smile on his face. He wasn't looking at Kurt, however, but at Burt.

"Is this what you wanted me to see? To see my future son stand up to bullies for making a joke out of him? To show them that he is  _not_  what they think he is?"

The Doctor looked at him, face stoic as he asked, "And just what do you think they're trying to say, Burt?"

Burt turned back towards the Doctor as the Prom King swept past Kurt as he exited the room. He frowned. "They think he's a f-"

Just then a voice cut across the dance floor, loud enough for Burt to hear.

"Excuse me?"

Burt turned to look at the source of the voice and saw a boy in a tuxedo with a pink carnation standing in front of Kurt, who had turned to face him as well. This boy, shorter than his son and with dark gelled hair, was holding out his hand.

"May I have this dance?"

Burt watched as his son glanced around. He couldn't hear his response, but he could see it, as Kurt reached out and accepted the other boy's hand. He stared silently as the shorter boy tugged Kurt into his embrace and as two girls on stage began singing, he looked on as the two of them began to sway together.

But most of all, he watched as his son smiled at the boy in his arms.

"Come on," the Doctor whispered in his ear.

Burt let himself be led out into the hallway. The door closed behind them and the music inside became muffled. The Doctor was looking at him solemnly, not speaking, just waiting.

"My son…my son is gay." Burt didn't need to question it. He knew. He knew without a doubt that in the future he would have a son who likes other boys. His son –  _Kurt_ – had been crowned Prom  _Queen_  not because people  _thought_  he was gay, but  _because_  he was gay. He leaned against a row of lockers and slid down. He looked down at his large hands splayed against his knees.

The Doctor sat down beside him. "Do you get it now? Why I brought you to see this?"

Burt felt himself nodding. "You were showing me what  _f_ \- what  _that word_ means."

Beside him the Doctor tensed. "I don't think you got the point-"

"Oh trust me, Doctor. I got the point," Burt snapped. "Using  _that word_  – it makes me like _them_  - like those idiots who don't understand…who are just  _afraid_  of what they don't understand. That  _word_  is filth that the likes of those students use against people…people like  _my son,_  who are  _different_  from them. And they can't accept the difference. They might not have called him that word to his face, but they might as well have when they voted him Prom Queen."

"So, you're okay with your son being…?"

"Gay? Like you said before, Doctor. I can't change what happens here tonight. Which means I can't change the way my son is. And you know what? After what I saw in there tonight, I don't think I will ever want to."

Burt looked at the Doctor, who was smiling at him with a look of pure happiness in his eyes. When he saw the tears forming in the seventeen-year-old's eyes, however, his smile wavered.

"What's wrong?"

"I just wish…I just wish he didn't have to go through that humiliation. Yes, I can see how brave he is, but it's just not something he should have to go through." Standing, Burt turned back to look through the window at his son, who was still dancing with the other boy as balloons fell from the ceiling. He watched Kurt smile as the two boys danced around each other, and felt his own mouth turn up in a smile that mirrored his son's.

"I'm just glad he doesn't have to go through it alone."


	3. Chapter 3

He turned around to face the Doctor who was now standing behind him, watching the scene in the gymnasium with him. The Doctor locked eyes with him and nodded.

"Are you ready to go back, then?"

Burt nodded and they made their way away from the gymnasium and toward the janitor closet where the TARDIS was. The entire trip back to his time, Burt was silent, thinking over the events he had just witnessed. He would have a son. A son who would be brave and strong and unwilling to back down. A son whom he would love no matter what because what did it matter what gender he liked? That wouldn't define Kurt Hummel. His courage would.

As the Doctor followed him out of the TARDIS Burt paused and turned to face the strange man who had just popped into his life and shown him something that changed the way he saw things now.

"How did you know to bring me to that moment, Doctor? How did you know I needed that?"

The Doctor smiled and leaned against the TARDIS door. "I've met your son. In the future. You're all he ever talks about. He loves you very much."

"Yes, but how did you-?"

"Know that you needed to see that moment when Kurt stood up to his bullies and showed them what he's made of? Actually, you didn't need to see it. You would have eventually figured it out on your own how wrong it is to use that word. I was planning on taking you to see that moment no matter what. It just so happened that I overheard you and…" He ended with a shrug of his shoulders. "You know the rest."

"Then – why?"

The Doctor smiled. "Kurt talked about that moment often, and how his only regret was that you weren't there to see it."

Burt nodded and turned to leave the closet. He paused before looking back at the man in the suit who was already halfway inside the TARDIS.

"Oh, and Doctor?"

"Yes, Burt?" The Doctor looked back at him expectantly.

Burt smiled. "Thank you."

The Doctor grinned back. "Any time."

The door closed with a creak and a few seconds later, a loud whooshing noise filled the room as a wind from nowhere swirled around the closet. He watched, amazed and slightly unsurprised, as the blue box faded in and out of existence until it was gone altogether.

With a sigh, Burt opened the door and stepped out into the hall. Across from him was a poster for the 1984 William McKinley High School Junior Prom. So, he was definitely back in his own time, then.

Shoving his hands in his pocket, Burt wandered slowly toward the gymnasium, playing the scene over and over in his head, of his son standing on that stage and his son – dancing with a boy. He rounded the corner right outside the restrooms when he heard laughter. Looking up, he saw a group of boys cornering another – one of those show choir kids, Burt realized. He was small and blond, cowering against a wall while a brunette girl in a white dress stood to the side, shouting at the boys to stop.

Burt frowned, wondering what the girl was shouting about and as he drew nearer, he heard a familiar voice – Billy – telling the boy against the wall to "stop being such a  _fag_."

Suddenly, the blond boy was gone and Burt saw his future son, Kurt there instead. It was only a moment, but in that second, something inside Burt snapped and the next thing he knew he had Billy pinned against the wall next to the show choir boy, an arm pressed against his throat.

"What the hell, Hummel?" a voice asked while Burt glared at Billy who was struggling to push his arm away.

"Yeah, what's your problem?"

"My  _problem_ ," Burt spat, "is that filthy word you people seem to think you can just  _throw around_  like it doesn't mean anything."

"Dude, it's just a word," Billy laughed.

"It is  _not_  just a word," Burt sneered. "It can hurt someone just as much as a punch can. And you know what? It probably hurts  _more_."

"What's gotten into you, man?" Billy asked. "What the hell did that man say to you?"

"So much more than you'll ever understand, Billy." With a growl, Burt dropped his arm, letting his friend go. "Now leave. All of you. And if I ever catch any of you using that word or bothering this kid again, I will hit you so hard you'll wish you'd see just stars."

Without another word the group of boys left, making their way rather quickly back toward the gymnasium. Burt turned to face the show choir boy, but he was already running down the hall in the opposite direction. Burt frowned, watching him go.

"Hey," a voice behind him said. Turning, Burt looked at the chestnut haired girl who had been standing there the whole time, watching the scene unfold. She was looking past him, watching the boy run away as well.

"What you did just now? That was amazing. I'm sure he'll want to thank you later," she said, gesturing toward the show choir boy, "but I think he's just a little shaken right now."

Burt shrugged. "It was no big deal."

"Yes, it was actually," the girl said, finally looking at him. Burt was taken aback by the color of her eyes – a beautiful blue-grey with hints of green that shone like the sea on a winter's day. His breath caught in his throat and Burt swore his heart skipped two beats.

"It's about time someone started standing up against people who use words like that because they're afraid of what's different."

Burt nodded in agreement, not trusting his voice as he stared back at this girl. She smiled at him and his stomach decided to flip in his stomach.

"Well, that was my date who just ran away. So I guess I'll have to go sit out that last dance alone. I'll see you around, Burt?"

Burt felt himself nod as she turned toward the open doors of the gymnasium at the end of the hallway, out of which was spilling a beautiful melody. He looked at the scene inside, of his fellow classmates dancing together and saw instead his son and the other boy, swaying together and smiling.

Shaking himself out of his reverie, Burt looked at the girl in the white dress only to find that she had already disappeared inside the gymnasium. Suddenly, Burt knew what he had to do and without a second thought, he ran toward the doors.

Inside the lights had been dimmed. A disco ball hung over the crowd, reflecting shards of blue across the dance floor as people swayed to music the band was playing. It was a slow song that Burt recognized and so he hurried to find the girl whose eyes were like the sea. He pushed his way through the crowd, shouting apologies as he made his way toward the tables in the back. Finally, a couple moved and he spotted her, sitting at a table by herself, watching wistfully as the couples danced by.

Just as Burt began to move toward her the music came to an end. Panicked, he looked at the stage, hoping that the band would keep playing, but no such luck. The guitar player was already taking off his instrument while the drummer was standing up and stretching his legs. Burt felt his heart sink as the students began to filter off the dance floor.

Then the lead singer spoke into the microphone. "Well, ladies and gentlemen, someone has requested a special song for a certain couple. According to the man who gave me the record, it's something you've never heard before, and probably won't for a while. I have absolutely no idea what he means, but he insisted I play it. So I guess the night isn't over just yet for you kids. Enjoy."

There was a crackle as the record player was turned on and someone set the needle down. A piano melody began to play sweetly as couples once again took the floor.

 

_I get lost in your eyes_

_And I feel my spirits rise_

_And soar like the wind_

_Is it love that I am in?_

Burt quickly spun on his heel and made his way over to the girl, who sat staring down at her hands in her lap.

"Excuse me?"

 

_I get weak in a glance_

_Isn't that what's called romance?_

_And now I know_

_'Cause when I'm lost I can't let go_

The girl looked up at him, eyes widening as Burt held out his hand.

"May I have this dance?"

The girl, eyes still wide, nodded and slipped her hand into his. Together they made their way onto the dance floor. She turned to face him when they reached it, smiling up at him as he slipped his hands around her waist. Hers found their way around his neck. Even in the dim lighting, her eyes were still the brightest he had ever seen.

 

_I don't mind not knowing what I'm headed for_

_You can take me to the skies_

_It's like being lost in heaven_

_When I'm lost in your eyes_

They began swaying to the melody, dancing to a song that somehow Burt knew was meant for them. And as this beauty before him lay her cheek on his chest, he looked over her shoulder and saw a slim figure in the corner of the room, leaning against the wall, smiling at them.

 

_I just fell, don't know why_

_Something's there we can't deny_

_And when I first knew_

_Was when I first looked at you_

Burt smiled back and the Doctor waved –  _a half-eaten banana?_  – at him beforeturning and leaving the room. Burt just rolled his eyes and turned his attention back to the beautiful girl in his arms.

 

_I get weak in a glance_

_Isn't this what's called romance?_

_Oh, I'll be found_

_When I am lost in your eyes_

* * *

_**Ten Years Later** _

 

_Don't go changing, to try and please me_

_You never let me down before_

_Don't imagine you're too familiar_

_And I don't see you anymore_

Burt Hummel smiled as he looked down into the eyes that had once captivated him, and still did, but in a different way. He swayed slowly as he sung gently to the tiny being cradled in his arms.

 

_Don't go trying some new fashion_

_Don't change the color of your hair_

_You always have my unspoken passion_

_Although I might not seem to care_

He didn't have the best voice – not nearly as beautiful as his wife's – and he couldn't remember half the lyrics to this song, but he knew that the ones he did remember were just the right ones for his son to hear.

 

_I said I love you and that's forever_

_And this I promise from the heart_

_I could not love you any better_

_I love you just the way you are_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Songs:
> 
> "Lost in Your Eyes," by Debbie Gibson
> 
> "Just the Way Your Are," by Billy Joel


End file.
